Many enterprise systems use call centers to interface with customers. Such call centers may use call center business processes to process customer requests. An example of a customer request is a request for service or “service request”.
For example, assume that a customer calls to report a loss of service. A loss of service is also referred to herein as a network outage. Call center agents face a challenge to manage customer service requests and the network outages in the shortest amount of time. The call center is referred to as the front-office.
Typically, network outages are managed by a network operations center (NOC). The network operations center is referred to as the back-office. Further, the individuals who act as call center agents are distinct from the individuals in the network operations center. The two groups typically do not communicate with each other. In addition, the call center and the network operations center, each use different applications. For example, the call center agents use a call center application in the call center's computerized system to record customer technical problems as service requests. On the other hand, the network operations center uses technical applications such as a network management system in the network operation's computerized system to detect and fix problems such as network outages.
Typically, the call center applications are not linked to the network management systems. Although the network management system can detect and recognize a network outage, such information is usually not communicated to the call center agents and the call center applications. Therefore, when a customer contacts the call center to report a loss of service, the call center is usually not aware of the network outage. In response to a customer's complaint regarding the network outage, the call center agent collects the network outage information as a ticket and sends the ticket to the appropriate individuals to resolve the ticket.
Thus, a mechanism is needed to synchronize the information associated with service requests and network outages between the front-office applications, e.g., the call center applications, with the back office applications, e.g., the network management system applications.
Generally, in order for front-office computerized systems to communicate with back-office computerized systems or vice versa, the user must manually regenerate data from the back-office computerized systems in forms usable by the front-office computerized systems, and vice versa. Such manual regeneration has several significant disadvantages, including: (1) it is often expensive; (2) it often requires a substantial amount of time to complete; (3) it must be repeated each time data changes in either the back-office system or the front-office system; and (4) it is prone to errors.
In view of the foregoing, an automated approach for synchronizing data used by a back-office computerized system with data that is use by a front-office computerized system, and vice versa, is needed.